Britain's Prince Harry has said he wishes he had spoken sooner about the death of his mother, Princess Diana.

Harry, who was 12 when Diana died in a car crash in 1997, said in video released Monday that it isn't a sign of weakness to speak about problems. The comments came as Harry was speaking with a group of high-profile sports stars attending a July 14 barbecue arranged by the mental health charity Heads Together.

"It's OK to suffer, as long as you talk about it,'' he said. "It's not a weakness. Weakness is having a problem and not recognizing it and not solving that problem.''

Among others attending the event were England soccer star Rio Ferdinand, whose wife died from cancer. Ferdinand spoke with Harry about discussing the death of his wife with his children.

"I really regret not ever talking about it,'' Harry said.

Prince Harry, together with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, founded Heads Together. The three have been anxious to bring together mental health organizations to tackle the stigma around psychological issues.